Ahh….been a long while since I updated. Ah it's….whoa. Two months exactly. Wow. Uhh ok. Glad to be back. I should be updating sooner with the eternal summer upon us and all. But anyway…
This chapter introduces some changes and the meeting of Randall and our "stranger".
Chapter 11 Hidden Shadow
(RING! RING!)
The phone in Sean's apartment kept ringing. The loud sound echoed through the rooms, but it didn't seem to bother the other residence. The room, however, was to be of concern. Two pillows and several blankets littered the floor. A broken lamp laid in pieces below the stained counter. The rug on the floor was obscure and rubbed in several places. The glass cabinet in the back was open, a few items fallen to the floor, some destroyed. The window's drapes fluttered with each brush of wind.
(RING!RING!)
In surprise, a hand shot up from behind another counter, this one having the strange loop formation of the phone sitting on top of it. The hand seemed to shake as it fumbled for the phone. It was successful, disappearing behind the counter.
"Sean? Sean?" came the sound on the other end of the line.
"...Jo...Joy?" came a groaning response.
"Oh good your awake! Listen! Kevin's disappeared!".
"W...What?".
"Randall just came in with Caylin and Kevin's gone! He left him with Caylin and the next thing he knew he was gone!".
"I'll...I'll...be there" he started, a cluttered cough emerging. "...as soon as I can...".
"...Sean...you ok?".
"I'm...errmm...I'm fine just...go with Randall and I'll...get there as soon as I can...".
"But you don't know...".
"Don't worry about that...I'll find you all...". Joy didn't seem pleased by what he was saying. But before she had time to comment, he had already placed the phone down.
(NS)
Randall had, reluctantly, forgotten to take the car, and instead resorted to running around aimlessly. He had already called his parents and the police, though he didn't seem to have much faith in the law finding him. From the bar, they went back to the house and split up. Randall and Leia had taken the southern road, Caylin and Joy the north, and Readagar and Randolph had taken the east road. So far, they weren't having any luck.
"KEVIN!" Randall screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing, only receiving curses and grunts from the occupants of the buildings. He had been on the road for several minutes and he had already begun to look tired. Leia came over to him, more so for comfort and to make him feel alright, but Randall didn't seem to feel alright about anything that was going on.
(NS)
"Kevin!" Joy yelled, ducking in alleys and searching the inside of a few glass buildings. She stopped when she noticed Caylin standing on the sidewalk with ashamed look on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked, coming over to him, but still trailing her eyes on any signs of movement.
"I...flamingoed up didn't I?" he asked.
"What?" Joy asked.
"It's like a cock-up but much bigger..." he said, starting down the sidewalk, still depressed.
"It wasn't you fault ok Caylin..." she said, coming up beside him. Caylin just stuck his webbed hands into the pockets of his coat, still depressed. "You've watched Kevin many times...something else must have happened...". Caylin seemed to shrug off the comment.
"Something just doesn't seem right about this...Kevin wouldn't just run away...I mean what if...what if he was...". Joy didn't event want to think about that.
(NS)
"At least I can say he's a bit like his father running off like this..." Randolph muttered to himself, leaning into and alley to see if Kevin was there. Red was up on the roof of one of the low buildings, springing himself onto the wall of the next tall one and crawling up. Randolph leaned out, looking up at Red.
"You find him yet!" he yelled up.
"I'll tell ya when I do!" Red snapped back.
(NS)
"So...do you...have a name?" Kevin asked, trying to lean out a bit to look under the Stranger's hood, though it was a lost cause.
The Stranger seemed to smile, Kevin noticing sharp teeth glinting. "I have many names in different places..." he said, but he didn't seem to be moving on to answering Kevin's question. For a moment, Kevin seemed a bit afraid by not having an answer.
The Stranger looked to his side, then looked at the dark night clouds for the moment, rain would be coming. "(So...a son...interesting...it's been at most an hour...I suppose I shouldn't damper my welcome here...)". He looked down to Kevin, seeing Randall's son trotting along with worried eyes. "(Oh...we are in trouble aren't we...).
(NS)
Before Leia could react, Randall had broken free of the comforting embrace and was racing down the streets. Leia followed him as best as she could, but he was still too fast.
"(I know where you are Kev! I don't know how but...I don't care!)".
(NS)
"Kevin!".
Kevin's fronds and tail stood on end as he heard sounds from the street up ahead. His rather afraid expression turned to one that became joyful and exuberant. "Dad?".
"KEVIN!".
Kevin had already started to run to the street ahead as Randall emerged, his eyes wide as he saw Kevin a few feet away. Kevin jumped at him and they both embraced, all four hands across. "Your safe! I can't believe that...I...Kev...". Randall was a bit loss for words, he just held Kevin tighter, and Kevin did the same. If one were to care, they would see the tear of joy running down Randall's cheek.
"Dad? Are you...crying?" Kevin asked as Randall pulled him away to see his face.
"I was just so worried about you! You were home and then the next minute your...". Randall stopped. He cocked his head slightly, looking at who Kevin had been with. For the time, rage began to overtake the joy Randall had right now. He got to his feet, or rather straightened up, holding Kevin's arm with a hand.
"Who are you?" Randall demanded.
"Dad he...".
"Quiet Kevin..." Randall said softly, looking back at the Stranger. "Who...are you?".
The Stranger merely chuckled. The sound of it sent a vibe through Randall's spine. "Just a concerned citizen helping a little boy find his way home...".
Randall growled, barring his teeth. "My son didn't run out on his own! So you must've taken him!" he yelled.
"Dad that's not how it..." Kevin tried to intervene.
"...You should try listening to your son Randall...".
Randall's eyes widened, then narrowed. "How do you...".
"Know your name? Please...everybody does...Boggs." the Stranger said smoothly.
It was this strain of confusion for Randall that gave Kevin the chance. He tugged at his dad's tail, something that always got his father's attention, though in a negative sense. "Dad! This guy helped me out! There were these umm...big guys that were coming after me and he chased them off! Then he wanted to protect me till I got home...".
Randall seemed even more confused, he gave a look at the Stranger on last time before turning to Kevin and kneeling down. "Kevin...remember what I told you...".
"Yeah I know...but...".
(Ching! Ching!)
Similar sounds were heard down the street that Randall had come down, making them both turn their attention as Leia came in. She came over to Kevin and Randall, embracing them both. "Kevin! Your already! Thank heaven!" she said, kissing him on the cheek. Randall wiggled out from Leia's arm, making her a bit confused as he got up and turned.
"As for you...huh?". He looked left...then right...but the Stranger...was nowhere in sight. "Where'd...he go?". Leia heaved Kevin into her arms as Randall just stood there, baffled. If he had left, he would have heard something. But all he heard was the gust of the wind...
"Randall?" Leia said, Kevin looking at his father with worry. Randall just starred where he was. "...Randall come on...lets go home...I'm sure Kevin's afraid of this place...".
"I'm not afraid!" Kevin said, only getting a half-hearted smile from Leia. She started halfway down the alley again before she stated Randall's name once more. He followed them, took one last look, then continued, shaking his head. As Randall's shadow disappeared, the wind started kicking up...
"Both in one moment...its sweet Randall...now...phase two...".
What would Randall say to Kevin through all of this? Find out next
